How to Create a Change Order in JobTread: A Step-by-Step Guide
- Tammy Hoang
- 21 hours ago
- 6 min read
Knowing how to create a change order in JobTread is one of the most important skills for any contractor who wants accurate job costing and clean books. Change orders are where projects quietly gain or lose money — and if they are not recorded correctly, your budget reports stop matching reality. The good news is that the JobTread change order workflow is simple once you know the two methods JobTread gives you. At Construction Cost Accounting (CCA), we set up the JobTread change order workflow for construction clients every month and connect it to their bookkeeping. This guide shows you how to create change order JobTread documents using both methods, in plain language.
What Is a Change Order in JobTread?
A change order is any adjustment to the original scope or cost of a job — an overage, an underage, or a new item the customer asked for after the budget was approved. In JobTread, a change order is a document you create from your budget, send to the customer for signature, and use to keep your numbers honest. Recording every JobTread change order correctly is what keeps your job costing accurate from start to finish.
JobTread gives you two different ways to handle this. Both produce a real change order document — the difference is how each one affects your budget view. Method 1 updates specific budget line items. Method 2 keeps a separate, consolidated record of every change. The sections below walk through each method, then explain how to choose. This is the core of the JobTread change order workflow every contractor should understand.
Method 1: Reconciling Specific Budget Line Items
This method is best when you want your budgeted cost to match your actual bills — so the “red ink” disappears from your budget view. You are reconciling the specific items that came in over or under budget. It is the simplest JobTread change order method when your goal is a clean budget.
1. Identify the items. Find the line items in your budget that are over or under budget.
2. Select the items. Highlight the specific line items you want to adjust.
3. Create the document. Click “New document with selected,” choose “Change Order,” and click “Create.”
4. Edit for the “change” amount. JobTread shows the original estimated amount. Edit this so it reflects only the difference between the estimate and what was actually spent — not the new total. This is where most mistakes happen, so slow down here.
5. Adjust quantity and cost. Change the quantity to “one lump sum.” For over-budget items, enter the overage as a positive unit cost. For under-budget items, enter the difference as a negative unit cost (for example, -175) to take money away.
6. Manage margins. JobTread automatically adds a margin to these items. You can leave it, or remove it if you are not making a profit on the change.
7. Save and send. Click “Save,” then “Send” to the customer for signature. This is the JobTread change order approval step — the customer signs off before the change becomes official.The result: your “Bills” and “Budgeted Cost” columns now match, and the over-budget indicators are gone.
Method 2: Creating a Dedicated “Change Orders” Group
This method is preferred when you want a consolidated list of every adjustment in one place — so you can see exactly where you are gaining or losing money across construction change orders on a job.
1. Create a new group. In your budget, click “New Group” and name it something like “Change Orders.”
2. Add change items. Add a new line item to this group for every overage, underage, or unexpected customer order.
3. Enter the difference. Set the unit to “lump sum” and enter the difference in price — the change amount — as the unit cost.
4. Generate the document. Select the entire “Change Orders” group and click “New Change Order Document.”
5. Review and send. Because the items were set up in the budget group first, the margins and price changes are already attached at the document level. Click “Send” for customer approvalWith this method, your original line items still show they were over or under budget — but your bottom-line total is corrected through the new group. This keeps a clear history of every JobTread change order on the job.
Which Change Order Method Should You Use?
Both methods are part of the same JobTread change order workflow — the right choice depends on what you want your budget to show:
Use Method 1 when you want a clean budget view. It updates the individual line items so the “Bills” and “Budgeted Cost” columns match and the over-budget indicators disappear.
Use Method 2 when you want a clear record of every change. It leaves the original line items showing they were over or under budget, but adjusts your bottom-line total through the new group — so you can analyze your construction change orders later.Many contractors use Method 2 because the consolidated list makes change order management easy to review across all active jobs at month end. Whichever way you create change order JobTread documents, the key is to be consistent — pick one method as your standard so your whole team records changes the same way. Consistent change order management is what keeps job costing reliable.
Change Order vs Estimate: What Is the Difference?
It is worth being clear on change order vs estimate, because mixing them up causes budget confusion. An estimate — or a revision to it — happens before the customer signs the contract, when the scope is not locked yet. A change order happens after the contract is signed, when the scope is locked and the change order is the formal document that adjusts it. In short: if the job has not been approved yet, you revise the estimate; if the job is already active and something changes, you create a change order. Getting this change order vs estimate distinction right keeps your job costing accurate from the first day of the project.
Is Your JobTread Change Order Workflow Synced to Your Books?
CCA sets up your full JobTread change order workflow and connects it to QuickBooks — so every approved change reaches your books. Book a 30-minute call.
How Does a Change Order Flow to QuickBooks?
Creating the change order in JobTread is only half the job. The other half is making sure that change order to QuickBooks flows correctly — because that is what keeps your financial reports accurate. When the JobTread change order workflow is set up properly, an approved change order updates the job budget, and that updated budget feeds your job costing and your QuickBooks records without double entry.
When it is set up poorly, the change order to QuickBooks connection breaks down: the change is approved in JobTread but never reaches your books, your project margins look better than they really are, and you do not find out the job lost money until it is too late to fix. The construction change order software does exactly what you tell it to — but it does not catch a human workflow gap. A change order that is signed but not synced is invisible to your accountant, which is why the change order to QuickBooks step has to be verified, not assumed.
It also helps to treat JobTread change order approval as a firm rule on every job: no work starts on a change until the customer has signed. Construction change order software makes that easy because the signature and the budget update happen in the same place — but the discipline still has to come from your team.
How Does CCA Help Contractors with JobTread Change Orders?
Construction Cost Accounting is a construction bookkeeping firm and a JobTread specialist. We are not a generic accounting office that learned the software last year — we work inside JobTread and QuickBooks every day. Here is what CCA does for contractors who want their change order management to actually hold up:
JobTread setup and consulting: We configure your budget structure, cost codes, and change order workflow so your team follows one consistent method on every job.
Change order to QuickBooks integration: We connect and test the sync so every approved change order reaches your books — no missed changes, no surprise losses at closeout.
Monthly construction bookkeeping in QuickBooks: Full-service bookkeeping for contractors — reconciliations, job costing, and WIP reporting your CPA and banker can trust.
Ongoing review: We check that change orders, vendor bills, and budgets all tie out every month, so problems are caught early.
If you have been searching for a construction bookkeeper near me who actually understands JobTread, that is exactly what CCA does. We make sure the change order in JobTread you create today shows up correctly in your books tomorrow.
Get Your JobTread Change Order Workflow Set Up Right
A change order only protects your profit if it is recorded correctly and synced to your books. If you want a construction bookkeeper near me who knows JobTread inside and out, Construction Cost Accounting can set up your full JobTread change order workflow and QuickBooks integration — so your numbers are always accurate. Book a consultation with CCA today and let's get your JobTread change order process working the way it should.
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